


How are we feeling this morning?

by hardlifeyourlife



Series: The Highschool AU We all Deserve [2]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, background geraskier, brief mention of abuse, renfri does not have a good homelife, yen and jas are step-siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardlifeyourlife/pseuds/hardlifeyourlife
Summary: Geralt gets a not-so-unexpected unexpected visitorOR:Renfri has a hard time at home and seeks Geralt for comfort
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Renfri | Shrike, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: The Highschool AU We all Deserve [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703041
Comments: 2
Kudos: 100





	How are we feeling this morning?

Geralt had been asleep for only an hour or so when something woke him, causing him to jolt up in bed. He'd always been a light sleeper, and whenever he managed to sleep more than seven hours it was usually accompanied by a nightmare or two. He never really remembered what happened, but he could probably guess. 

Tonight, though, there were no monsters hiding in his closet. His gaze swept around the room and landed on the window. It faced the backyard and the slanting roof butted up right underneath of it. If he wasn't used to the sight of Renfri sitting out on it he might have been frightened when he saw her face staring back at him. 

What did worry him, and what eventually made him get out of bed to open the window for her, was the large crack of lighting he saw just behind her head. The storm hadn't hit his house yet, but it was probably moving fast.

He let her in, closing the window behind her. Her pajamas were soaked to the bone, which meant that the storm had already passed over them, and she had come over to his house anyways. 

He maneuvered around in the dark, finding a dry towel he had stowed away the last time she'd come over during a rainstorm, handing it to her. She hadn't said anything yet, just took it from him silently and began to dry herself off. He held up one of his t-shirts to her wordlessly, making sure she saw him set it down on the desk before climbing back into bed. 

He faced the wall mostly to help her feel more comfortable. Just because he'd seen her naked before didn't mean she wanted him to tonight. Despite the lights being off in his room, he still kept a nightlight plugged into his wall from when he was younger, and he could see her shadow as she changed into his shirt. 

He heard her throw her wet pajamas into his dirty clothes basket, and felt the corner of his blanket lift up. It was an ancient ritual dating back to when they'd first met. He rolled over and opened his arms to her, holding her tight against his chest when she fell onto them.

Some nights were easier than others, but some nights she would cry. He had never been particularly good at stemming the flow of tears, but he hugged her close to him and ran a hand over her hair until he fell asleep. Tonight they were both lucky, because despite the slight tremble of her hands, she didn't show any signs of anything else being wrong. Geralt always slept easier with someone else in his bed.

The next morning, Renfri was gone. Geralt sat up, rubbing at his eyes for a moment and yawning before turning off his alarm and climbing out of bed. He began to gather his clothes for school, wanting to get into the shower before one of his brothers woke up. It was a crowded house, and if he didn't get into one of their two showers at just the right time there would be chaos. 

He stepped out into the hallway and was immediately bombarded by a brother, stepping into his personal space and leveling his eyes seriously. 

"This has to stop, Geralt. She's been in there for an hour. If I don't shower, what am I supposed to do? I can't go to school like this!" Lambert motioned to his bedhead, and Geralt furrowed his brow at him.

"Why? It looks better than it usually does." Lambert growled at him, always a sourpuss in the morning, and looked ready to deck him before Eskel appeared at the end of the hallway with a towel wrapped around his waist. 

"Hey! Next showers open. Twenty minutes max or Vesemir is dragging you out by that precious hair of yours." He said, and Geralt snorted as Lambert sprinted down the hallway, slamming the door shut to the other bathroom. 

Eskel gave a slight shake of his head, meeting Geralt's eyes. "Tell Renfri if she's not out in ten Aubry will gladly join her." He gave a waggle of his eyebrows, ducking his head as Geralt threw the closest thing he could at him. It was a book, and it landed on the floor with a loud wham before sliding the rest of the way. He could still hear Eskel snickering as he slithered his way back into his room and closed the door. 

Geralt knocked on the door to the bathroom, entering when it cracked open for him. She was wrapped in a towel as well, leaning over the sink and doing her make-up. Only now could Geralt see what he hadn't the night before: a blossoming bruise on her cheek. He resisted the urge to scowl at it, giving her a pat on the shoulder as he squeezed past her. She gathered her things and left to continue the ritual in his room, winking at him. 

"Better hurry up." She said, and he smiled. She had been holding it for him, keeping the other boys from using the most precious resource: hot water. 

After his shower he met the rest of his family in the kitchen, where they were all perched in some way eating breakfast. Coen and Aubry were sitting with Renfri and Vesemir at the small table while Lambert and Eskel leaned against the kitchen island. Geralt popped some bread in the toaster and leaned next to Eskel, shouldering him a little bit for room. 

Renfri fit in well with their ritual, and Vesemir had even made an extra cup of coffee for her, which she was drinking. Somehow he always knew when to expect her in the mornings. 

"Hey Ren," Lambert called, and Geralt prepared himself for the worst. "If you're bored hanging around Geralt, I'm sure Aubry would love to ride with you to school. There's gotta be space on his handlebars, right?" He teased, and Aubry's ears turned pink. He was the youngest of them all at thirteen, and he managed to have the biggest crush on Ren ever since he'd moved in. 

The rest of the brothers laughed, including Geralt, but Renfri shot Lambert a death glare. "And what are you offering? A seat next to you on the bus?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow, and it was Lambert's turn to splutter in embarrassment. Vesemir laughed, loudly. Geralt was certain Renfri was his favorite child. 

"Yeah, but you'd have to fight the rest of the football team for it." Eskel said, joining in on the teasing. Lambert was always easy prey. "You wouldn't want to make his boyfriends jealous."

"Can't be any worse than dealing with Jaskier." Coen piped up, and Geralt's face turned sour. "I think he only comes over these days to mark his territory."

Renfri laughed, and all of their faces lit up, desperately trying to keep that energy going. But Geralt couldn't let them stay on this topic for long, quickly finding something else to change it to. 

"He's not as bad as some of your girlfriends, Co. If you're not careful Vesemir will catch you in the living room instead of Eskel and you'll wish it was only Jaskier you were dealing with." He said, and Vesemir only groaned and shook his head, standing from his chair. The room went silent as he did so, although Eskel and Lambert were still giggling in the corner.

Geralt was the oldest now at seventeen, with Eskel following behind by only a couple months. Lambert was the third, sitting pretty at sixteen, Coen fourteen and then Aubry. Vesemir was only their foster father, taking in a couple boys every year who needed a solid home and a steady hand. As rowdy and broken as they all were, they respected him and loved him more than they'd ever admit to. Verbally, at least. 

"It's almost time to leave for school, boys, I'm not picking anyone up from detention for the rest of the semester. Renfri," She looked up at him, and he smiled down at her softly. "How are you feeling today?"

"At least a four out of ten, sir." She answered, cradling her coffee in her hands, and he nodded grimly before making his way out of the kitchen and presumably towards his study. 

The ritual was over as soon as he was out of sight, and chaos ensued as each boy tried to clean his plate and get out the door at the same time. Renfri sat still through it all - she'd never get the chance to clear her own dishes as one of the brothers always did it for her in their attempts to win her favor. 

Soon enough they were seated in Geralt's car and backing out of the driveway, and he stopped to make sure the road was clear of any brothers that were walking or biking to school before starting the drive. 

"I'm assuming we're grabbing Jas and Yen?" She asked, checking her makeup in the visor mirror as she did so, and Geralt 'hmm-ed' in response. He didn't mention that he noticed her looking at the bruise to see if it was covered or not. 

As he slid in front of the Pankratz-Vengerberg household, he barely had time to honk his horn before Jaskier came shooting out of the house. His hair was a mess and he was wearing sweatpants, but he ran towards Geralt's car anyways. He stopped short when he saw Renfri in the passenger seat, his smile faltering a little bit but quickly straightening. He jumped in behind Geralt, locking his door and taking a few quick breaths. 

"I finally did it, babe. I made it out here before her." Jaskier looked as though he had just rolled out of bed, and Geralt felt a smile rising to his face at the sight. 

"You look like shit." He said frankly, but Jaskier was not deterred. He leaned forward, putting a hand on Geralt's jaw and turning his face towards him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. 

"You love it, I can tell. I don't think I've seen you smile this early in the morning before." He said, and Renfri rolled her eyes. 

Geralt gave him another chaste kiss before shoving him in the backseat, barking at him to buckle up before Yennefer slid into the other side. 

"This man drew a smiley face on me with my eyeliner. My twenty-five dollar eyeliner that I just bought. It took me at least ten make-up wipes just to get rid of it. Can you see it Ren?" She asked, turning her cheek to her friend. 

Renfri turned around in her seat and shook her head. "No, you're fine. I love your dress!" She conplimented, and Yen smiled wide, sending back another compliment of her own before the car collapsed onto silence. Geralt drove on. Thankfully the siblings had enough thoughts in their heads not to fight with each other today, and they all pretended not to notice when Yennefer slid her hand over the middle console to take Renfri's tightly, a silent show of support.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Im posting this deliriously at 4:35am so I'll probably beta it tomorrow when I come back from the dead.
> 
> Comments are always welcome! And if theres anything else you want to see from this AU comment or reach out on tumblr [i-am-a-blobfish](https://i-am-a-blob-fish.tumblr.com/)


End file.
